Here’s an update on the bust of the Bush abstinence education mastermind. The lawyer for Bush’s former top domestic policy advisor, Claude Allen, told a Maryland court that this case was simply “misunderstandings.” “Misunderstandings?” Tuesday’s Washington Post notes: “Police said they have been able to document 25 instances in which Allen tried to obtain refunds for items he […]
Author Archive | Jim
American Conservative prints my hit on Lawless Dick Cheney
The new issue of American Conservative (3/27/06) contains my hit on Cheney’s latest lawlessness. Here is the first paragraph: “The biggest surprise from the shooting of Harry Worthington was Dick Cheney’s announcement that he is entitled to declassify national security secrets. Such declassifications raise the question of whether the president and vice president possess unlimited discretion […]
A Liberal Reviews Bush Betrayal
The Aging Hipster recently read Bush Betrayal. I’m happy he made it through the book and took the time to put his thoughts on his blog. He gave me permission to repost it – so here it is. The Aging Hipster is a self-described “Georgia Mountain Man” and Pittsburgh Steelers fan. Both those factors mean that, unlike some white-gloved […]
Needed: Abstinence Education for Politicians
So I notice on the front page of my local paper this morning that Claude Allen, formerly Bush’s top domestic policy advisor, got busted for defrauding a Target store with thousands of dollars of phony returns. Allen may have been best known for his advocacy of increased federal funding for abstinence education for school children – […]
The Regime Crimes Office
As part of my penance for Lent, I was reading a recent budget briefing for the State Department, tottering on the edge of my chair with each gust of hot air. I came across an intriguing comment by Ambassador James Jeffrey, “the Senior Advisor to the Secretary and Coordinator for Iraq.” He chirped about the Bush […]
A Great Quote to Ponder
I came across a quote from the great historian Raul Hilberg today, illustrating how the Rule of Law can degenerate into tyranny: As the Nazi regime developed over the years, the whole structure of decision-making was changed. At first there were laws. Then there were decrees implementing laws. Then a law was made saying, “There […]
National Security Agency spying piece now online + Update
My review on James Risen’s A State of War is now online at American Conservative. The spying scandal continues to show Washington at its best. Yesterday, Republicans on the Senate Intelligence Committee agreed to support a legislative reform to the FISA law to legalize Bush’s actions. One key change: Feds would be allowed to wiretap […]